Reassurance Remedy - NaLu
by megzyh
Summary: When Natsu gets sick Lucy tries to help, only to uncover a whole lot of pain she didn’t know he was trying to carry alone. SET AFTER GRAND MAGIC GAMES.


FanFiction

Fandom: Fairy Tail

Pairing: Nalu

Title: Reassurance Remedy

Description:

When Natsu gets sick Lucy tries to help, only to uncover a whole lot of pain she didn't know he was trying to carry by himself.

 **SPOILER WARNING:**

 **This is set after the GRAND MAGIC GAMES ARC.**

 **READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.**

 **DECLAIMER:**

I do not own Fairy Tail all credit to Hiro Mashima.

Anyway, on with the good stuff. Enjoy.

I had been sitting here for over half an hour. The mug of coffee I clutched between my hands was beginning to go cold and the continuous ticking of the clock on the guild wall behind me was beginning to give me a migraine.

The guild was strangely empty for mid morning but considering the number jobs requests we had revived lately I wasn't surprised that everyone was busy. This was one of the reasons why I couldn't understand why he was late. Happy had been looking forward to this trip for weeks. Since the Grand Magic Games had ended, Fairy Tail had had job requests flooding in the doors faster then we could complete them. Natsu, Happy and I had been working almost non-stop for two months. For once I didn't have to fret about having enough money for food and my rent was actually paid in advance.

After all of this we had finally decided it was time for a break and so Natsu had agreed to meet me at the guild at eight o'clock this morning to take Happy fishing. It's was now pushing quarter to nine and both boys were still a no show. That pink hair loon was going to get a serious pummeling if he had left without me.

Grumbling with discontent I glanced around the guild hall once again, hoping to catch a glimpse of either one of my team mates but with no luck. Even with the lack of members present the guild hall was still bustling. The sound of overlapping conversations filled the air as guild mates engaged in mindless chatter. From my perch in the back corner I could see Juvia and Gray seated next to each other, her head resting on his shoulder as they talked to one another and for once, with no complaints from the ice make mage. I was more than glad to see them slowly working through their 'issues'. Juvia deserved a little love of her own for all that she freely gave and it was nice to see Gray letting down just a little bit of the wall he had had built around his heart since he was a child. I think the whole near death experience in Crocus had made him think about his priorities and that made me smile lightly to myself.

At that moment I caught a flash of blue out of the corner of my eye and turned to see the very exceed I had been waiting for streaking towards me. I did however notice that his other half was not in toe.

"Lucy!" Happy yelled as he neared me, a look of relief crossing fluffy features as he caught sight of me.

"Hey Happy, what took you so long? You were supposed to meet me here nearly an hour ago." I scolded as he landed on the table I front of me. I swear I was going to buy that boy an alarm clock for Christmas.

"Lucy you have to come quickly. Natsu's burning up!" He sounded panicked as if that wasn't an everyday occurrence.

"Happy," I began, "he's a fire wizard. He tends to 'burn' occasionally." I tried not to sound to sarcastic but I swear this cat's memory gets worse every time I see him.

"That's not what I meant." He says sounding mildly exasperated. "I think he's sick."

"Sick?" I questioned. As far as I knew Natsu couldn't get sick. The whole higher than normal body temperature tended to kill most bacteria before it could make him sick. And so aside from vehicles I had never seen him come down with anything more then a sneeze.

"Yes, sick." Happy continued. "I came to get Wendy to see if she could help him but she's on a job with Erza. You're my last hope."

"Wow. I feel really appreciated." I mumbled under my breath but I knew that he heard me.

"Please Lucy." He gave a heavy sigh. "I'm worried about him. He hasn't been sleeping much and now this." That was new information to me. As far as I knew Natsu liked his sleep almost as much as he like food.

"Okay, I'll come have a look at him." I relented, pushing myself off my seat, abandoning my already forgotten coffee and following Happy out of the guild doors.

It took us nearly fifteen minutes to reach Happy and Natsu's 'house' which was really more of a half collapsed shack in desperate need of some TLC. The exterior stone work was beginning to crumble in places and a weaving ivy plant had taken over most of one side. I wouldn't have been surprised if those vines were all that was holding the wall together. As we walked up the footpath I couldn't help but smile, regardless of how dilapidated it may have looked I had to give them credit where credit was due. The footpath wasn't overgrown with weeds as I would had expected and a lopsided wooden sign was nailed to a post out side reading; _Natsu Happy's House_ , in wonky hand painted lettering. It almost looked homely.

The front door creaked as we entered and you could have almost sworn there was no one home except for the incoherent mumbling that was drifting through the house from the only bedroom.

"He's in here." Happy stated as I followed him across the stone floor and into the bedroom. It wasn't decorated and the curtains were merely old bed sheets nailed to the corners of the wooden frame. In the middle of the small room was an even smaller metal framed single bed and laying lazily in the middle of it was Natsu.

Even from the doorway I could tell that he was unwell. A thin sheen of perspiration coated his forehead causing the loose hairs of his fringe to stick to his clammy skin. And he was pale. The milky white of his skin was a stark contrast to his usually tanned complexion. I felt my heart contract as I took in his appearance. He certainly didn't look heathy.

Going into protective mamma mode I started throwing commands in Happy's direction and moments later he disappeared from the room in search of some water and a damp cloth. While I waited on the exceed's return I pulled up the chair from under the window and positioned it by the head of the bed. I hesitated briefly before reaching out a shaking hand to push Natsu's hair back from his forehead.

Although he was sweating cold, his skin was hot to the touch, more so than usual. In fact I would have expected to burn myself if I held my hand in place too long. Thankfully Happy returned soon after with both the damp cloth and a glass of water. I set the glass on the ground before carefully folding the wash cloth and laying it gently across Natsu's forehead. At first he mumbled and shifted at the contact but eventually he sighed lightly as if the cool cloth had brought him some relief.

Unsure what to do next I reached out once again to run my fingers through his hair so that none of it was caught under the cloth. It was softer than I had expected abet a little damp with sweat but as he sighed with content once again I decided that I could put up with a little gross in order to make him more comfortable.

For the next half an hour, Happy made trips to and from the kitchen to run cold water over fresh towelettes in the hopes of bringing Natsu's temperature down. After a while it must have work because as I was running my finger through his hair again between changes his eyes flicked open and he groaned lightly as the light filtering through his make shift curtains hit his eyes.

He blinked a couple of times as if unsure of his surroundings when he turned his head and his eyes landed on me. They widened slightly as if in surprise before he tired to speak only to start a coughing fit instead. I gently paced my hands on he back as I helped him sit up before quickly reaching down to retrieve the glass of water from earlier and guide it into his hands. He lifted it shakily to his lips and drew long deep gulps from its contents. Once the glass was drained he sent it down on the covers of his bed before glancing up at me once again.

I couldn't speak at I took in his state of disarray. His salmon hair was sticking up on more unusual angles then usual from me running my fingers through it and I couldn't help but notice how obviously shirtless he was as his broad chest heaved up and down in labored breaths.

"Lucy?" He asked sounding slightly confused but also a little revealed.

"Hey, Happy came and got me from the guild. He said you were sick and so I came to see if I could help." I explained as Happy himself cuddled himself up against Natsu's chest, obviously glad that his friend was okay. Natsu seemed to understand my explanation as he nodded slightly to himself whilst cupping his hand around the back of Happy's blue head and stroking absently between his ears as he cradled him against him. Natsu open and closed his mouth a couple of times before he spoke quietly.

"What day is it?" He asked curiously and when I told him it was Saturday his eyes widened considerably. "I'm so sorry Lucy. We were supposed to meet you at the guild this morning weren't we? You probably thought we ditched you."

"Well, for a start I did. You're just lucky the cat turned up and told me where you were otherwise I would have kicked you well into next week!" I grumbled.

"I don't doubt that." He agreed though I was glad to hear that he found even a little scared. "You really shouldn't be here though. You could get sick too."

"No, I'll be fine. I've already been sick this winter and I don't tend to get it twice." I explain. He looks dubious but dismisses it anyway.

"Do you have anymore water?" He asks carefully. He throat is already starting to sound scratchy again and it's obviously going to take more than water and cold clothes to break his fever.

"Give me ten minutes and I'll have something even better then water. Happy why don't you go back to the guild and wait for Erza and Wendy to return. They were supposed to be back sometime today. Don't worry, I'll look after him." I assure the small cat who looked unsure but eventually nodded his head, said goodbye to Natsu and flew out of the house. As I got up off my seat to leave the room Natsu spoke up again.

"Where are you going?" He asks suddenly sounding panicked.

"Just to the kitchen. I'll be back in a minute and I'm right next door if you need anything." I reassure him and for a moment he seems to relax slightly and I take that as my opportunity to leave the room. He's acting strange and I don't know why. To be honest it worries me. I'd like to think that he'd tell me if something was bothering him but then again Natsu had never been good at letting himself rely on other people.

I ducked into the kitchen and quickly set a kettle of water to boil over the fire as I prepared the drink. I was glad that I had convicted Happy to fly over to my house and collect some supplies and thankfully he had return with everything I had asked for as well as a small tin of pickles. I had no clue why he would think they would be helpful but I tried not to let my confusion show as I thanked him. He was being so helpful even when I knew that he was worried about his friend.

A few minutes later the kettle whistled and I poured to hot water into the mug and mixed it with the lemon syrup I had already put in the bottom of the mug. Lemon drinks had always been my go to when I was sick and I hoped they would make Natsu feel better as well. After strirring in a spoonful of honey and adding a little bit of cold water to the mug so that it wouldn't be too hot to drink I returned to Natsu's bedroom, walking carefully so as not to spill the contents of the mug. He perked up when I entered the room, his eyes getting bigger when he noticed the steaming mug in my hands.

"What that?" He asked as I took my seat beside the bed again and handed him the mug.

"Hot lemon and honey drink." I answered as he cupped the mug between his palms, carefully inspecting the steaming liquid. "It should help with your throat."

He blew carefully on the surface of the mug causing small ripples to run across the surface of the liquid. I, however, was mesmerized by the way his lips puckered as he blew and the way his large hands almost engulfed the sides of the mug entirely. Shaking myself out of my thoughts I busied my hand by collecting up all the used cloths and piling them tidily on the floor by the bed and then watching curiously as Natsu brought the mug to his mouth and took a small sip. Again I watched as his lips curled over the rim of the mug and how his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. Thankfully I caught myself before he noticed I was staring and looked down at my hands as I fiddled with the star charm bracelet on my wrist.

"This is so good." He broke me out of my wayward thoughts as he set the now half empty mug in his lap. "Thanks Lucy." He beamed at me, his wide toothy grin showing those sharp canines and the perfectly straight rows of pearly whites between them. How I loved his smile and I was more then glad to see it adorning his face once again.

"You're welcome." I smiled back. "Now, you should get some sleep." I said as he finished his drink and I took the empty mug from his hands.

"I don't want to." He stated stubbornly.

"So what if you don't want to. You're not going to get better without rest and besides, Happy said you haven't been sleeping much so exhaustion is probably why you got sick in the first place."

Natsu hesitated again, it almost looked like he was scared to go to sleep but he soon shuffled himself down under the covers once again. He slowly shut his eyes as if prolonging sleep as long as he could before eventually exhaustion took over. I again stood up from my chair and took his mug to the kitchen and rinsed to under the tap deciding to clean it properly later.

After stoking the fire and tying back the main curtains with a piece of string which was attached to the wall, I got to work making myself a sandwich. I was no longer surprised that Natsu and Happy spent so much time at my house, they had barely any food here. However, now that I thought about it, they haven't stayed at my house in a long time. Although they had been there during the day neither of them had spent the night in at least a month. Although I was glad for the privacy I hate to say that I had gotten used to the dragon slayer sneaking in through my window at night. Natsu was like a life sized hot water bottle and waking up to a cold bed was unsettling after getting used to his constant warmth.

Once I had finally gathered enough food to constitute an acceptable lunch I sat my self down it the lone wooden rocking chair that stood in the middle of the room. I was halfway through my sandwich when I heard noises coming from Natsu's room. At first I thought that he was just mumbling in his sleep like he had been when Happy and I first arrived. But as I listened again I could make out more sounds of distress than incoherent mumbling.

I set my plate on the ground and quickly shuffled across the living room floor and back into Natsu's room.

The sight before me broke me heart in two. Natsu was tossing side to side, his legs tangled in his sheets. But the worst part was his face. Obvious tear tracks ran down his flushed cheeks as more spilled from his eyes, which were squeezed tightly shut, his face screwed up in a look of complete terror.

I hurried across the room and sat myself on the edge of his bed, my hands resting in his tense shoulder as I tried to shake him awake with no luck. So I tried another tactic moving my hands to his face so that one was resting on his cheek, brushing away the still spilling tears whilst the other ran lazily through his hair as I remembered how that had calmed him earlier.

"Natsu..Natsu come on, wake up." I mumbled to him trying to pulled his out of whatever nightmare he was currently living. "Natsu, come on it's just a dream. Wake up please." I continued to run my fingers across his checks, pushing the unwanted tears away as I ran the fingers of my other hand against his scalp, tugging gently on his hair. "Natsu, Wake UP!" I cried. My heart was slowly breaking as I watched him suffer.

Finally he awoke with such a start that his sat up all in one fluid movement. In his rush to sit up his face almost collided with my chin and would have if I hadn't moved out of the way fast enough. He looked around as if reaffirming his location, tears still running steadily down his cheeks as he glanced in my direction.

"Lucy?" He chocked out in disbelief as if he was genuinely surprised to see me there.

"Hey, I'm right here." I assured him as I reached a palm up to cup his damp cheek. His eyes widened slightly before he threw his arms out in a rush, wrapping them tightly around me and drawing me into his chest. He held me tight against him as if he was afraid that by loosening his grip I would slip away. I sat stock still for a moment, mildly shocked before I too wrapped my arms around him and he fell apart in my grasp. His shuttering sobs were muffled by my shoulder as he buried his face in the crook of my neck, his soft hair tickling the underside of my chin.

I reached one hand up and buried it in his fluffy locks, stroking slowly, trying to sooth his destress.

"Shh, it's okay." I mumble in his ear as I lent my check against the side of his head. "I'm here. It's alright."

I continued to whisper to him until his cries ceased. Even then he still clung to me, reluctant to let me got. We stayed there for a good twenty minutes before he eventfully pulled back to look into my eyes. His own were red and slightly puffy. I carefully reached my hand up once again to wipe the last of his tears away with the pad if my thumb.

"What happened?" I asked softly.

"Nothing, just a bad dream." He tried to convince me, glancing away so that I couldn't see his eyes but I used the hand on his cheek to turn him back towards me.

"Natsu, you can tell me, okay." I assured him. "Please let me help." I watched as Natsu took a deep breath, squeezing his eyes tightly shut briefly as if preparing himself.

"You were gone." He finally said.

"Gone? What do you mean gone?" I asked confused.

"It was just like Crocus." He started and I could already see where this was going. "Future Rouge, and his attack and Future You tried to save you but she was too late and you got hit." He paused and took a deep breath as tears began to well in his dark eyes once again. "You collapsed and then you stopped breathing. You died in my arms and there was nothing I could do to save you. And when you died, Future You disappeared and then your body started to fade away until I was just clutching at air."

"Oh, Natsu." I sighed sadly as he finished. "No wonder you got sick. You haven't been sleeping at all have you?" He shook his head slowly, looking up at my through his lashes. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to worry you." He muttered as if he was a burden to me. "Besides, you seemed to have moved on from every that happened there. I didn't want to bring up bad memories."

"Oh, Natsu." I carefully ran my hand over the top of his hair, brushing it out of his eyes. "If somethings bothering you I want you to tell me. No matter what it is. I hate having to see you like this and if I can I want to help. How long have you been having the dream?"

"Over a month." He stated. "I couldn't sleep because every time I did the dream would haunt me and when I woke up you wouldn't be there. You were gone. There was nothing I could do." He started to sob again as he pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes and I pulled him towards me again.

"I'm right here." I assured him. "I'm not going to leave you alone."

"But you did!" He whimpered. "You died. Your blood was all over my arms and then you were gone and I couldn't save you."

"You don't need to. I'm right here. Look at me." I said lifting him up so that he was eye level with me. "I'm right here, okay? Do you see me."

"Yes, but.." He started to protest but I cut him off.

"No! No 'buts'. I'm right here and I don't plan on going anywhere, anytime soon." I said sternly. "I'm not going to leave you alone, okay?" He seemed to accept it this time, nodding quietly against my shoulder as I held him close.

"You promise?" He asks looking up at me. The swirl of emotions in his eyes shows me that he is inches away from believing me, he just needs proof.

"I promise." I assure him. And finally he smiles. It's not his usual toothy grin but it warms my heart to see a little bit of happiness return to his face. He reaches his hand up and rests it against my cheek as if to reassure himself one last time that I really am there. He smiles shyly at me before furrowing his eyebrows slightly as if contemplating something.

Moments later he shakes his head as if to affirm something as he looks me in the eyes again. His dark onyx orbs meeting my own wide brown ones. Then with his hand still resting in my cheek he pulls me towards him, pressing his lips against my own. I freeze. Taken totally by surprise and as quick as it started it's over. He pulls away his eyes wide.

"I'm so sorry..I. I didn't mean to.." He stumbles through an apology I really don't want to listen to as I grab the sides of his face pulling him towards me once more.

This time I am prepared as his warm lips meet mine. A feather light touch as if testing the waters before he takes control, his hand coming around to cup the back of my head as he pulls me against him. And I'm lost. Stranded. Completely consumed. Drowning with no desire to reach the surface.

We both pull away breathing heavily as he rests his forehead against my own.

"You have no idea how long I have wanted to do that." He mumbles pressing another quick kiss to my swollen lips.

"Well that makes two of us." I chuckle lightly and he joins in and soon we're both rolling around on his bed in complete hysterics for no particular reason. Once we eventually catch our breath I sit up as he does as well and push myself off the bed so that I'm standing on the wooden floor boards beside it.

"Where are you going?" He asks. All confidence suddenly gone.

"To finish my lunch." I tell him. "Besides, you still need to get some rest."

He looks down at his fingers which are playing with the frayed edge of a blanket. He glances up at me, his eyes full of innocence and hope.

"Will you stay?" He asks quietly.

"Stay?"

"Here. With me." He says.

"Yeah sure, I'll sit here till you fall asleep." I tell him, assuming that's what he ment.

"No. I mean here." He pats the bed beside him as if to indicate that he want me to sleep there too.

"What? You mean? You want me to…there with..while you..?" I stumble through a sentence even I struggle to understand and he chuckles softly.

"Please. If you're here with me, maybe the dream won't come back. And even if it does, you'll be there when I wake up and I'll know it wasn't real." He sounds so small, so broken. I hesitate for just a moment before I pull my shoes off and climb onto the bed next to him. Pushing back the covers I climb under until I'm sitting next to him in the tiny bed.

He glances at me as if he's surprised that I agreed before he beams at me. The toothy grin has return abet a little sleepy and I couldn't be happier. I shuffle down until I'm lying with my head on his pillow and reach my arms out towards him.

"Come here." I say and he doesn't even hesitate this time as he leans down and plants a soft kiss on my mouth before snuggling in beside me. He rests his head in the crease between my shoulder and my neck and I tuck his head under my chin, pressing a light kiss to his forehead before pulling the covers up over us both and slowly falling asleep.

At some point during the night, Happy arrives with Wendy, Carla and Erza only to find both Natsu and Lucy sound asleep, curled in each others embrace.

Erza smiled vibrantly at the scene infront of her as Wendy 'aww'ed and Happy stifled a giggled, none of them wanting to wake the sleeping pair.

As quietly as she could, Wendy took Lucy's old seat in the chair beside the bed and got to work healing Natsu as best she could. Although, as his illness was mainly due to exhaustion she knew that sleep was going to do him more good than her magic, however, she still did all she could before Erza re-tucked the blankets around Natsu and Lucy and the group left for the night. Happy decided to stay the night at Wendy and Carla's though that may have more for his benefit than his partners'.

By the next morning Natsu's fever had broken and by Monday he was back to his usual self. Lucy was overjoyed when she returned to the guild to find that Gray had finally relented and agreed to take Juvia on a date.

Not to be out done by the 'Ice Princess', Natsu insisted on doing the same for Lucy. Not that she minded at all.

"So how long do you think it'll be before he actually catches anything?" I asked Natsu as we sat on the bank of he and Happy's 'Secret Fishing Hole'. It was now the weekend following Natsu's illness and thankfully quick recovery. To thank Happy for being so helpful I suggested we make up for the trip he missed and take him fishing this weekend. The only problem with that was that by taking another week off from going out on jobs I was officially broke once again.

"We could be here all day." Natsu replies with a laugh. "Happy may love fish, but he sucks at catching them." I couldn't help but laugh at that. Typical.

The weather was warm and the light breeze tickled my bare toes as we bathed in the sunlight. It was a perfect day and nothing could ruin it for me.

"Achoo!" A sudden tickle came up my nose followed by an almighty sneeze.

"What was that?" Natsu asked with a laugh.

"I dunno, maybe I'm getting Hay Fever." But that was weird cause I'd never had Hay Fever before so why would it start now? I glanced out at the lake again watching as the breeze sent ripples across the glassy surface reminding me of Natsu and his lemon drink.

"ACHOO!" I went again. This is ridiculous. And that was when it hit me. My eyes widened in realization and I suppose Natsu realized at the same time because moments later he was rolling around in the grass in fits of laughter. His shoulders were shaking and his stomach was heaving as he lost all control.

"This isn't funny!" I yelled at him.

"Of course it is!" He replied still laughing. "What was it you said? 'I don't get sick twice'"

"Shut up." I grumbled and he managed to control himself enough to sit up again.

"Ohh, don't worry Luce. I'll look after you this time." He assured me.

"Fine, but this is still your fault." I relent. I hate fighting with him even over small things so it was just easier to give up.

"I take full credit." He said proudly.

"Getting your girlfriend sick is not something to be proud of." I reminded him as if he didn't know that already.

"I know, but you love me anyway." He mumble leaning over to press a playful kiss to my lips.

"Unfortunately." I grumbled lightly leaning back against his shoulder.

"I love you." He mumbled nuzzling into my neck know that it tickled. "I looove you."

"Okay fine, I love you too." I said whilst trying to hold in a giggle.

"Good. Because that's not allowed to change." Natsu stated as he put his arms out behind him for support, letting me lean back against his chest. He was ridiculously comfortable.

"You're really cheesy you know that?"

"You love it."

"Don't start that again!" I warned giving him a light elbow in the stomach and he collapsed against the dirt as if I'd shot him.

"Ohh the pain! It burns!" He mocks. "Lucy, save me. I can see the light!"

"You're an idiot." I laugh. He looks like he's about to say something when Happy's excited yells come from further down the shore.

"I got one! I got one!" He yells excitedly completely forgetting to reel it in. "Natsu look I…it got away."

I turn around to glance at Natsu who shrugs his shoulders as if to say, I told you so. I laugh lightly under my breath as I watch Happy recast his line mumbling to himself about catching a bigger one next time. However for all we knew next time could be hours away. Content to just relax in the sun I lent back against Natsu once again and he brushed his lips against my temple. I smiled silently to myself and focused my gaze out across the lake again.

"ACHOO!" And that was all it took for Natsu to loose his composure all over again.

A/N.

Hey Guys,

So this is the first FanFiction I have ever written so some feedback would be awesome. Anyway, I hope you liked it.

Cheers for reading


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